Academic games test students' knowledge of Greek life, CMU

Bursts of chanting and applause filled the crowded auditorium as crowds of Greek students cheered on their teams for academic games on Tuesday night.

The trivia competition was part of Greek Week, a series of events organized by Greek organizations on campus to raise money for Special Olympics Michigan.

"We changed the game up a bit from last year and tried to make it a little more educational for everyone," said Erin Barcy, a Greek Week committee co-chair. "It went as smoothly as can be expected."

The Lansing senior said the 10 teams, each consisting of one sorority member and one fraternity member, studied hard for the academic games.

This year's game was modeled after "The Newlyweds Show." The two members of each team wrote down their response to the questions and earned points if both answered correctly.

Questions focused on information about Greek Life, Special Olympics Michigan and the history of Central Michigan University. Throughout the game, the various Greek organizations in the audience shouted words of encouragement as their teams scored points.

"Greek Week has been great so far," said sophomore Tierra McClain, a member of Delta Phi Epsilon. "You couldn't ask for a better cause to support."

At the end of each round, the lowest scoring teams were eliminated until two teams remained. Delta Zeta and Pi Kappa Phi went head-to-head with Phi Sigma Sigma and Beta Theta Pi. The last round consisted of each contestant answering questions about their teammate's Greek organization.

In the end, the Delta Zeta/Pi Kappa Phi team won.

Delta Zeta representative Kayla Amstutz, who was celebrating her birthday on the day of the event, said she was excited about her team winning the friendly competition.

"Academic games is always a fun one to win," the Tecumseh senior said. "It's a great birthday present and it gives us a definite edge in the overall Greek Week competition."

Those who attended the game paid a $1 entry fee. All of the proceeds from the event go toward the donations raised for Special Olympics during Greek Week.